CLANG—!
The Fine Iron Fish Spear stabbed viciously at the monster's throat, yet it only produced a dull clang, like metal striking metal.
Although it failed to pierce all the way through, the immense force of the impact instantly tore its tough hide, and a spray of foul-smelling black blood erupted.
SKREEE!!
An utterly shrill shriek pierced the night sky, feeling like countless needles stabbing everyone's eardrums.
The strange creature, driven mad with pain, violently retracted its claws and swung its arm back, smashing it viciously against the shaft of the Fish Spear.
BANG!
Su Yu felt a violent jolt in the web of his thumb. The Fine Iron Fish Spear in his hand, a weapon strong enough to pierce the planks of a boat, had been bent to a ninety-degree angle by that single blow!
Using the force of the rebound, the strange creature's form shot backward, vanishing into the darkness in a frantic escape.
In that instant, by the faint moonlight, Su Yu finally got a clear look at its true form.
It was a black monster with a sharp, bird-like beak, its entire body covered in sickening, slick black fur. It walked upright.
The most terrifying part was its face.
It had originally been the deathly-pale face of a woman. Now, wounded, it began to twist and squirm wildly like melting wax, transforming in the blink of an eye into the ferocious face of a man!
Wisps of black energy spewed from its seven orifices, quickly sealing the wound on its throat.
'This isn't a beast at all... It's a supernatural evil!'
Su Yu was horrified.
This kind of self-healing ability and bizarre transformation was something no ordinary person could possibly fight.
He gripped the broken Fish Spear, not moving a single step.
'Chasing such an unknown and terrifying creature into the pitch-black night, where you can't even see your hand in front of your face, would be suicide.'
Seeing the strange creature retreat, the villagers didn't dare to linger. Fearing it might return, they quickly helped Village Chief Wang to his feet and prepared to leave.
"Wait... COUGH COUGH... Search the area! My little boy might still be alive!"
The villagers didn't want to delay, but Wang Yuechi's face was covered in blood, and he looked ready to kill someone. In the end, his gaze fell upon Su Yu, his one remaining eye bloodshot and filled with pleading.
Although the surrounding villagers were afraid, they too turned to look at Su Yu. The power of his spear strike had made him their sole pillar of support at this moment.
Su Yu thought for a moment. 'It's still dangerous. But the way that thing fled didn't seem fake. Otherwise, it would have already come back to attack.'
In the end, he nodded.
"Split up and search quickly. If we don't find him in a quarter of an hour, we head back to the village immediately!"
The crowd spread out, holding their torches high.
A short while later, someone shouted, "Found them!"
In a pile of dry grass lay several villagers who had been dragged away, their bodies strewn about haphazardly.
The chests of two of them had been hollowed out, and they were long dead. At the very bottom of the pile of bodies, a small figure lay motionless.
"He's alive! Still breathing!" someone checked immediately.
Wang Yuechi immediately rushed over and picked up the child. "Quick... back to the village!"
...
The next morning, the sunlight dispersed the gloom, and news of what had happened in the village last night had already spread.
Hearing that a strange monster had entered the village and killed many people before being driven off by the village chief and his men, the villagers all breathed a sigh of relief.
For some time now, people had been getting dragged away by strange creatures in the night, filling everyone's hearts with panic.
Although people were constantly dying in these chaotic times, and everyone seemed to have grown used to it.
But dying of starvation, or being killed by oppressive gangs... those deaths could at least be understood. It wasn't like this strange monster. The unknown was always the most terrifying.
Su Yu stood in his own courtyard, wiping down the ruined Fish Spear and thinking about getting a couple more as backups.
'This world is getting harder and harder to survive in.'
'If I didn't have the strength from my second Gate-Crash, my chances of survival yesterday would have been slim.'
'Still, it's not enough!'
'I have to become a Martial Artist at the very least. Only then will I have a better chance of protecting myself!'
'I need to get back to the martial hall and focus all my energy on training!'
Su Yu left Yaya a few copper coins, gave her a few instructions, and was about to leave.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Su Yu, it's Wang Yuechi. I've come specifically to thank you for last night!"
Su Yu went to open the door. Village Chief Wang Yuechi was standing at the entrance with his young son, who still looked sleepy.
Wang Yuechi had been severely injured the previous night. His entire body was now covered in bandages, especially half his face and head, which were completely wrapped.
Still, Su Yu admired his performance last night. The man was not afraid of death.
"Uncle Wang, come in and have a seat."
The two entered the house and sat down. Yaya poured each of them a cup of water.
Wang Yuechi glanced at Yaya, recognizing her as the little girl from the Liu Family. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
'He knew about the Liu Family's situation. For this little girl to be alive, it was likely all due to Su Yu's kindness.'
He once again expressed his gratitude, then had his young son, Wang Qu, kowtow to Su Yu in thanks.
"Su Yu, you've already reached the strength of multiple Gate-Crashes, haven't you?"
"I've completed the second Gate-Crash," Su Yu replied without hiding it.
"I knew it. If it weren't for you last night, I'm afraid we all would have died. You saved us, and you saved Qingxi Village."
"You're too kind, Village Chief. I just happened to be there at the right time."
"But with such strength, why have I never heard your grandfather, Su Manjiang, mention it? I'd only ever heard that your third brother, Su Can, was quite talented and went to the city to study martial arts. I never expected you to have such talent as well."
Su Yu shook his head, not wanting to say more.
Wang Yuechi was an insightful man and immediately stopped asking questions. He then stood up, pulled two boxes from his robes, and handed them over with gravitas. "Su Yu, you saved my youngest son. This is a great kindness to my Wang Family! I am not one for mere words. This is the best reward I could muster. Please, you must accept it!"
Su Yu took them and opened the boxes. The first contained four Small Silver Ingots, each weighing five taels, for a total of twenty taels.
The other box held a ginseng root over ten inches long, its rootlets completely intact.
This reward was more than double what he had promised last night!
Su Yu gave Wang Yuechi a surprised look and accepted the items.
"Then thank you very much, Uncle Wang. These things will be a great help to my martial arts training, so I won't be polite."
Seeing Su Yu accept, Wang Yuechi visibly relaxed. He then pulled his young son, Wang Qu, to his side. "Su Yu, I have one more impertinent request. My boy survived last night entirely thanks to your blessed protection. I would like him to acknowledge you as his godfather, so he can slowly repay your kindness in the future."
Su Yu looked at the innocent-looking child beside him. He was quite handsome, and despite the terrible ordeal he'd been through yesterday, he didn't seem very frightened today. He was a good kid.
However, Su Yu was under immense pressure himself. The threat of Cao Bin was like a needle at his back, and he was already walking a tightrope on the edge of a cliff. How could he have the energy to protect anyone else?
Besides, in these chaotic times, there were too many dangers, and human life was too fragile. Other than his cousin Su Hong, Su Yu didn't want to take risks for anyone else.
But this Wang Yuechi certainly knew how to handle things. He had presented his gift first, without trying to force Su Yu to accept his son as a godson as a condition.
"Uncle Wang, I can barely protect myself right now. You should also be aware of my older brother Su Hong's situation. Let's talk about this again some other time."
Hearing Su Yu's reply, Wang Yuechi didn't press the matter at all. He immediately nodded and said, "Sigh, your older brother's situation... I understand. It's hard to survive in these chaotic times. But if you ever need anything, just say the word, and I will do everything in my power to help!"
After seeing Wang Yuechi off, Su Yu put the items away. Without further delay, he pushed open the door and left.
Behind him, Yaya watched Su Yu's retreating back for a long time before slowly closing the door and going back inside.
「The Su Family's Old Mansion.」
Su Manjiang took a hard drag from his long-stemmed pipe, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke to suppress the chaotic thoughts in his mind.
"Elder Su, that grandson of yours, Su Yu, was truly amazing last night! My husband said that if Su Yu hadn't stabbed that monster and driven it off with his spear, they all might have died! Goodness me, your Su Family's ancestral graves must be smoking! To think you've produced two men capable of learning martial arts!"
Beside him, Mrs. Chen watched the chattering Mrs. Liu, feeling a wave of irritation.
"Alright, alright, Aunt Liu, Elder Su needs to rest. You should head back now."
"Fine, fine. Take these wild vegetables. We don't have anything else good at home, so don't you look down on them." After taking the bag of vegetables and seeing the woman out, Mrs. Chen closed the door, her expression turning sour.
She turned and sidled up to Su Manjiang, her tone dripping with jealousy. "Father, did you hear that? That boy, Yu, he gains some ability and doesn't even tell the family, just runs around playing the hero. He must have spent a fortune learning those skills. If that money had been saved for Can'er, who knows, maybe Can'er would have already broken through to become a Martial Artist by now..."
Su Manjiang remained silent, but the speed at which he smoked quickened slightly.
Seeing Elder Su's silence, Mrs. Chen's eyes darted about before she added in a heavier tone, "If Can'er breaks through to become a Martial Artist, our family can finally hold its head high! Who would dare to bully us then!"
"Oh, right, Father. The last time I went to see Can'er, he said that to break through the Martial Artist bottleneck, he needs a better Herbal Decoction to increase his chances of success..."
Su Manjiang's hand trembled, and ash from his pipe fell onto his shoe. He looked at Mrs. Chen with cloudy eyes and murmured, "How much does Can'er need?"
"Twenty taels!"